Ball club



R. LHOTKA May 3, 1960 BALL CLUB Filed Hay 26, 1954 United States Patent BALL CLUB Rudolf Lhotka, Vienna-Xierling, Austria Application May 26, 1954, Serial No. 432,369

Claims Priority, application Austria June 19, 1953 4 Claims. (Cl. 273-67) The subject of the invention is an article of sport and games equipment, namely a ball club. It consists of a ball and a handle.

The ball club is fundamentally different in its shape and use from a known article in which the ball is either attached to a forked handle and rolled along the ground as a child's toy, or is attached to a strap on which it is swung around and then thrown. Another device for fenoing practice permits only of lengthwise blows.

The ball club can be used for hitting and can be thrown and swung in individual and team games by players of all ages, in and out of doors, on ice and in water.

It attains this object by the construction shown in the accompanying drawing wherein for the purpose of illustration is shown a preferred embodiment of my invention and wherein Fig. I indicates a view of the ball club ready for use. The reference Character 1 indicates an outer-cover made of twelve pentagonal Sections, 2 a handle or helve stuck into one side of the ball, 3 is a slit and 4 indicates holes for laces surrounding the aperture 9. Fig. H is a view of my invention partly broken away to show the parts which render possible the tight fit of the handle in the ball. Reference Character 5 indicates the bladder with its ends 5a turned in, forming the tube of the bladder and griping the tube 1a of the cover which tube extends around the inner part of the handle 2. This tube is fixed on the inner wall of the cover 1 opposite the aperture 9, through which the handle 2 is secured by means of a disc 7 entering through the slit 3. Member 6 is a rod which forms the inner part of handle 2. Reference character 10 indicates the junction between cover tube 1a and the inner part 6 of the handle.

Fig. Ill shows the ends of the pipette-shaped bladder turned in and forming a tube through its middle. Fig. IV indicates that the ball-club may be used also without a cover by suitable embodiment of the bladder`s tube in the form of a nut-shaped thread 5b to receive the threadshaped end of the handle 2a. Similar numerals refer to similar parts in each of the several views.

The ball can be spherical, or egg, apple or lens shaped for example, and can be hollow or solid, with or without a cover. lt is elastic. It can be made from animal, vegetable, mineral or Synthetic materials, alone or in combination.

The handle can be made in one or more parts, from Wood, light metal, rubber, Synthetic material, etc., or combinations thereof, and can be solid or hollow. It can be made round or angular, smooth or with grooves, threads or holes, or with bands of varying thickness, and can also be profiled. It is important that the handle should be rigid and should not be in the form of a strap or similar device.

The ball and the handle are joined rigidly together by means of suitable attachments such as, for example, by a disc as in Fig. II, by a screw thread as in Fig. IV, or by a bladder with a tube through the middle, so that when ready for use the handle cannot be twisted, pushed, pulled we I . or bent out of position. The tight fit can also be achieved through slits or holes for laces in the ball, or through a tube fixed to the inner wall of the ball opposite the handle aperture, which grips the handle. The best sort of cover for the ball is made of twelve pentagonal sections. The bladder, which is made in one piece with the tube through its middle, is made by dipping a pipette-shaped mould into a solution.

What I claim is: V

l. A device for use in playing games comprsing a ball head of elastic material having a diametrically extending tubular portion and defining a resilient unit and a helve provided at one end with a conformation extending into said tubular portion and having a shoulder portion extending transversely of said helve and said unit at the juncture between said helve and said ball head, and fastening means comprsing one portion firmly secured to said ball head and a cooperating portion secured to said helve, said ball head and said helve being in fixed relationship relative to one another and constituting a unitary structure, and said helve extending in vaxial alignment with said diametrically extending portion.

2. A device for use in playing games comprsing a ball head of elastic material having a diametrically extending tubular portion and defining a resilient unit and ya helve provided at one end with a conformation extending into said tubular portion and having a shoulder portion extending transversely of said helve and said unit at the juncture between said helve and said ball head, and fastening means comprsing one portion firmly secured to said ball head and a cooperating portion secured to said helve, said ball head and said helve being in fixed relatonship relative to one another and constituting a unitary structure, and said helve extending in axial alignment with said diametrically extending portion, and a sleeve disposed intermediate said tubular portion and said conformation, said cooperating portion comprsing a portion secured to said conformation on said helve.

3. A device for use in playing games comprsing a ball head of elastic material having a diametrically extending tubular portion and defining a resilient unit and a helve provided at one end with a conformation extending linto said tubular portion and having a shoulder portion extending transversely of said helve and said unit at the juncture between said helve and said ball head, and fastening means comprsing one portion firmly secured to said ball head and a cooperating portion secured to said helve, said ball head and said helve being in fixed relationship relative to one another and constituting a unitary structure, and said helve extending in axial alignment with said diametrically extending portion, said tubular portion of elastic material presenting a threaded portion constituting said one portion of said fastening means, and said conformation presenting a matching threaded portion constituting said cooperating portion of said fastening means.

4. A device for use in playing games comprsing a ball head of elastic material having a diametrically extending tubular portion -and defining a resilient unit and a helve provided at one end with a conformation extending into said tubular portion and having a shoulder portion extending transversely of said helve and said unit at the juncture between said helve vand said ball head, and fastening means comprsing one portion firmly secured to said ball head and a cooperating portion secured to said helve, said ball head and said helve being in fixed relationship relative to one another and constituting a unitary structure, and said helve extending in axial alignment with said diametrically extending portion and a sleeve disposed intermediate said tubular portion and said conformation, and a cover portion disposed 

